In a conventional combustion engine, a piston reciprocates inside of a cylinder, compressing and expanding a gas mixture. In certain types of engines, the compressed gas is a mixture of fuel and air. This results in a specific problem in which the fuel and air mixture occupies volumes between the piston and the cylinder and between a piston surface and a ring of the piston, referred to as “crevice volumes.” Because the surface area to volume ratio of these spaces is high, the fuel and air mixture in a crevice volume is cooled to a low enough temperature such that all intended chemical reactions do not take place and the fuel is not burned during a combustion phase. This unburned fuel is then exhausted from the engine, resulting in hydrocarbon emissions as well as reduced efficiency.